Residential round ceiling lighting fixture -> receptacle cover question

[asavage]

[I posted this elsewhere, before discovering it is a UK-based site, which may be less than helpful for me.]

Well, it's been eleven years since my last confession here . . .

"A friend in need is a pest, indeed."

I was helping a friend's family over the weekend, got in over my head with respect to fitment of a round receptacle cover.

The house is 2002 construction. The two-car garage has two ceiling light fixtures. It had two utility fixtures like this:

I was working with something like this (or the blue plastic equivalent? I can't recall):

To install surface-mount 4' strip lights -- with ground! -- I removed those util lamp fixtures, and installed these:

However, it doesn't fit well -- doesn't cover the sheetrock footprint of the lampholders:

It's a garage, it doesn't need to be cosmetically perfect, but I do not like leaving a ceiling penetration open, for fire safety reasons -- the sheetrock is a fire retardant feature of the room, and now I've got a clear hole into the attic above the garage: not good.

My questions:

1) Is there a similar 1-gang receptacle box cover for round boxes that has a larger OD?

2) Is this just the wrong way to convert a ceiling round box to a receptacle?

Wiring, I have no problem with. Trim, that's a 'nuther story.

 

[Jadnashua]

They're made, now where to buy one, you might need to go to an electrical supply house...

Leviton 5042 15 Amp, 125 Volt, Duplex Receptacle On 4-Inch Cover, Zinc Plated Steel - Electrical Cables - Amazon.com

 

[Sponsor]

 

[wwhitney]

Two things:

I think your plate is designed for an octagonal box, not a round box. The plate that Jim posted is 4" round, so it will cover the whole box.

However, it won't cover the gaps in the drywall. For that you need a "goof plate" or trim ring. Something like this, but I bet there are other options:

https://www.lightingsupply.com/garvin-cbd-800.aspx

The inner diameter on the goof plate needs to be less than 4" so the 4" round cover will hold it in place. But large enough to clear the receptacle screws, whose spacing is apparently 3-9/32" center to center, at least 3-1/2", I think.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[asavage]

Thanks, Jim & Wayne. Exactly the info I needed.

Those Garvin goof rings are 3.75" ID x 8" OD, so the 4" cover will hold it in place. They're not cheap! But already painted the correct color, I'm not going to complain.

I've just ordered two of each.

Again, my Thanks.

 

[Fitter30]

1800ceiling.com/products/custom-goof-rings-plastic?variant=39314427150380&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoMi1tfTmggMVVEpHAR2OoAPwEAQYAyABEgJhvvD_BwE

 

[ReaganOlsen]

It sounds like you're dealing with a bit of a tricky situation with that ceiling fixture cover.